An easy deck creation guide that you can do in two days

[Monster01]

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FIRST IS THE design element. It used to be that either you hired an architect or drew your own plans on the back of a napkin. But many villages and cities would not accept the homeowner drawn plans. Which by the way, to build a deck most municipalities require a permit before you start. These days many building centers and lumberyards offer free design services if your buy the materials from them of course. There are also website’s that have has some great deck design ideas such as www.skil.com. But, no matter how or where you get the design, it is the first step in planning the deck.

MATERIALS ARE NEXT
Most of us think of a green treated wood deck. While a solid choice you do have other alternatives. A note about treated lumber: Many manufacturers have discontinued the use of CCA treatment for preserving wood. That material contained arsenic. While no studies have concluded that the old CCA posed a risk, the perception out weighed the reality. A new safer treatment called AQC, which uses copper and offers the same resistance to rot and insects and contains no arsenic.

Tools needed to build your deck
Electric corded 7 1/4" circular saw. Make sure it has a safety switch on the trigger.
Electric corded drill, reciprocating saw, jig saw, orbital and palm sander, cordless drill.
Set of saw horses, shovels, posthole digger, rake.
Tool belt with hammer, speed square, chalk line, screwdrivers, utility knife, pencil, tape measure, pliers, chisels, hand saw.
2' and 4' levels.
Framing square, straight line, safety glasses.
For more advance builder compressor hoses and nail guns.
Radio to play Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I had a hammer".

Treated lumber should be used for the structure of your deck no matter what you choose to use for decking and rails. The material is usually a ponderosa pine and is very strong. When laying out the posts for the structure keep in mind that a post on pier is my preferred method. Meaning you’ll dig postholes to a depth below the frost level in your area. For most of the country that’s a depth of 42” below grade. Consult your building department for exact depth. The holes are typically 8” in diameter and at the base of the hole you should try and shape a bell. This will ensure a solid footing. Fill the holes with concrete. A trick is to form a square box out of 1x4’s about 10’x10” inside dimension and place over the hole. Fill the concrete to the top of the box and finish smooth. You’ll need about 3-4 60 lb. bags of concrete mix per hole. This is really the hard part. Then once you’re holes are filled you are ready to start building the deck. When setting the 4x4’s on top of the concrete piers use a small piece of roof shingle to separate the wood from the concrete. This will elevate the wood and if water collects on top of the pier the wood will not sit in the water, this will prolong the life of your framing. Galvanized nails and screws should be used to assemble the deck. Remember that you deck will outdoors 24/7 and all the materials need to be rated for outdoor exposure. The framing of your deck is truly one of the most important aspects of your deck. You need to build a strong study substructure. My rule is to always error on the side of over building. That way a large group of friends as well as a mini-van could hang out on your deck and never fear that it could collapse.
Now for the decking, treated lumber is a good choice for decking and rails. But you also should consider cedar, redwood, mahogany (if you have cash to burn) and synthetic lumber. Cedar and redwood offers you a distinctive look to your deck. The cedar has wonderful character but can splinter. Redwood offers you basically a wood that needs little treatment to last a lifetime. The new synthetic woods have become a favorite with deck builders. These materials can be cut shaped and assembled just like wood. They come in different colors and offer a smooth surface. Pricing all of these will allow you to make a decision on what fits into your budget. As for assembling the decking I prefer that you screw your deck boards in place. Using coated or stainless screws will keep the deck boards in place for years and years. One of my favorite deck screws are called Split-Stop. I have built many decks using these and they still look great and hold tight.